How I Met Dr Horrible
by hurkydoesntknow
Summary: In my first crossover ever with an alternate plot, Dr. Horrible relocated to New York City after defeating Captain Hammer and starts a new life with his new friends as Barney Stinson. But what happens when Captain Hammer becomes New York's greatest hero
1. Here Comes Captain Hammer

**Disclaimer: Hurky doesn't own How I Met Your Mother nor Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. This is another one of Hurky's messed up stories. If found on any other websites other than ff dot net and copied to other sites, that's cool and all, but at least give some credit to Hurky (she writes for free and for the fun of it) but Carter Bays and Craig Thomas actually own HIMYM and Joss Whedon owns Dr. Horrible. They deserve all the credit. If found on other sites, Hurky WILL find you.**

**PS: Reviews are nice. You know this stuff is pretty good, so why not give it a review? :-P Well, not really. Do what you want. And Hurky is not very good at writing songs or anything, so don't expect songs if you're a musical kind of person.**

* * *

New York City. One of the greatest cities in the United States, one with millions of people, a place where anything could happen. New York City is a place where anyone can start over, whether coming from a foreign country or even another city.

You're probably wondering why this is all being brought up. Well, friends, here is why...

Barney Stinson is a womanizer who has lived in New York for years, a man who appears to have it all. A high paying job, an ability to get a woman in bed with him in ten seconds flat, the expensive suits, and a great group of friends. But deep down, he had a very dark secret.

"You people don't know opera!" Ted Mosby shouted to his friends while sitting in their usual booth at MacLarens Pub with his friends Marshall Eriksen, Lily Aldrin, and Robin Scherbatsky.

"Well, none of us are as lame as you are," Barney said before taking a swig of his scotch. "Take me, for instance. Why do you think I don't go to operas? It's because I'm _awesome._ Awesome people like me don't go to operas, what up!"

Ted rolled his eyes as Barney raised his right hand up in the air for a high five, which went unslapped. "You just don't know art," he said.

Everyone at the table made farting sounds. They always did this whenever Ted got into something that bored them. In other words, anything that was intellectual.

"Knock it off!" cried Ted. "Someday I'll find someone who appreciates art and leisure as much as I do!"

"In the meantime," said Marshall. "You're stuck with us, which means..."

Fart noises sounded by everyone but Ted, who stared at them, irritated.

Robin began to change the subject. "So I heard that Captain Hammer is now in New York," she said. "Metro News One has been getting reports on him and I gotta tell you, he's gotten better. He's made a great comeback since being defeated by Dr. Horrible."

"Hey, speaking of which, whatever happened to Dr. Horrible, anyway?" asked Ted.

"He's been with that evil league since Captain Hammer was defeated," Marshall quickly answered. "But lately, Dr. Horrible disappeared from them."

"Ugh, he's been following this for days!" Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Marshall's been scouring the news for Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible."

"Please, I've been _researching_ this," Marshall corrected his wife. "And it's not just the news, but also Twitter, Facebook, the internet..."

"...Why do you think Dr. Horrible is so great?" asked Robin while Marshall continued to list his resources. "He's just a moron with goggles who thinks he's a doctor because he's horrible at everything. I don't even think he has a Ph.D."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Barney blurted out in defense.

Everyone at the table paused and drank in silence.

Barney stood up and stretched. "I'm out. Actually tired tonight," he said. "See you guys later."

With that, he walked out of the pub and began to walk in the dark streets. The streets were bustling as always, with cars, people, animals. Lights flickered from signs and traffic. The wind blew through Barney's blonde hair as he walked.

"I have a Ph.D in horribleness," he said to himself, pulling out a pair of goggles and putting them on his head, looking out to the dark sky.


	2. Daddy's Home

The next day after work, Ted was at his apartment sketching his next architectural project when Marshall came barging in.

"You'll never guess who I just saw!" Marshall exclaimed. "I just saw Captain Hammer!"

"How?" Ted asked, putting his pencil behind his ear.

"It was amazing!" Marshall said. "A woman got her purse stolen but Captain Hammer totally whooped his ass! I got to witness it!"

"Did you get his autograph?" asked Robin, who was on the couch, drinking a bottle of beer.

"No," Marshall replied disappointedly, plopping on the couch next to her. "My cab was at a stop light when this happened and it drove off right when he stopped the crook."

"What up!" Barney declared, walking into the apartment. "Hey, what did I miss?"

"I got to see Captain Hammer!" Marshall said with his excitement rising again like a child's. "Stopped a crook!"

This made Barney boil on the inside. _Why is he in New York?_ he thought to himself_. I thought he went into hiding. I disgraced the man!_

"Cool," Barney said, pretending not to care. "So anyway-"

"-shut up, Barney, Captain Hammer's on TV!" Robin shushed, turning up the TV.

"Sitting next to me here is recently out of hiding superhero, Captain Hammer!" said a blonde woman wearing a pantsuit, turning to a muscular man with brown hair, wearing a t-shirt with a lightning bolt on it and gloves. "So, Mister Hammer, how do you like New York?"

"It's great," answered Captain Hammer in his superhero-y voice. "The lights, the sights, the crime...keeps me busy!"

The newswoman laughed. "That's wonderful!" she said, leafing through her notes. "So tell me, where do you think Doctor Horrible is right now? He disappeared from the world that he once wanted at his feet, but he has been gone for several years."

"May I add that he's just a chicken?" Captain Hammer said. "Can I say chicken on TV?"

"Of course," answered the newswoman.

"Great," said Captain Hammer. "I'd like to say to Doctor Horrible, wherever you are, I'm back. The world will no longer be yours for I will take it from you once again and give it back to the innocent people of the world!"

"The hell you're not!" Barney yelled at the TV.

Ted, Marshall, and Robin all stared at Barney with their eyes wide open.

"Umm..." Barney said nervously, shaking. "I...got to go now..."

With that, he slowly walked out of the apartment.

"Did anyone notice how strange that was?" Robin asked.

Ted and Marshall, however, shook their heads.

Barney went back to his apartment and went into one of his spare rooms, where he kept a large amount of equipment and boxes which contained more equipment which had never been unpacked since Barney came to New York. This had been the reason why Barney never allowed anyone to come to his apartment. He didn't want his friends to find out who he really was or what he did.

Before Barney came to New York, Barney hardly had any friends until Penny came along..._Penny_...

Barney's blue eyes watered with tears. He had not thought about Penny for a long time. How could he forget about Penny?

That was when he remembered why. He left Bad Horse because he was overcome by grief for Penny. So what did he do? He packed up his things, said goodbye to Moist, and caught the next plane to New York City. He started life anew, changed his name from Billy to Barney, got a job at GNB, and met Ted Mosby and slowly became friends with Ted's college friends Marshall and Lily and then Robin came along. Then there was the womanizing...Billy used to be a loser back home with the sweatshirt, but here in New York, he was Barney, the man in a suit who was able to get a woman in bed with him with a snappy and clever first impression and then run off the next morning.

Barney opened the closet and saw his red coat hanging next to his white coat. He sighed and stared at the two coats. Then there was Dr. Horrible. He once had the world at his feet but he couldn't do it because of Penny. Every time he tried to do something evil, he thought of Penny, dying in his arms. He couldn't stand it. So he did what he had to do, which was leave. Ever since, Bad Horse has been trying to find him.

Barney pulled the red coat off the hanger. He began to pull of his suit jacket and pull off his tie. Within minutes, he was buttoning up the jacket, pulling on his gloves, and sliding his goggles over his eyes. He smiled to himself.

"Daddy's home," he said, laughing evilly.


	3. The Elementus Stone

Ted stormed angrily into MacLaren's a few days later. He walked over to the booth where Lily and Robin were sitting and sipping on wine. He slammed his suitcase on the floor and dropped into the booth next to Robin.

"What's wrong, Ted?" Lily asked.

"My newest project is gone!" Ted cried in frustration, flailing his arms around. "I spent days and nights working on this! This was an important one! I was supposed to present it to city hall by Friday and when I went to work on it today, it was missing!"

"Maybe you left it at home?" suggested Robin.

"No, I locked it up in my briefcase last night before I went to bed," Ted answered as Wendy the Waitress walked by. He flagged her down. "A bottle of your strongest beer, please?"

Wendy nodded as she went to go get Ted his beer.

"We interrupt this program for some breaking news," the TV on the wall blared loudly. "Dr. Horrible has made it to New York City and this video sent in to us confirms it!"

The video feed switched over to Dr. Horrible, in full costume. "Citizens of New York!" he began. "For those of you who know, Captain Hammer has been in the city for a while now. As for me, I've been here this whole time! I have lived among you worthless peons for years, now! And now that Captain Hammer has made his come back, it's time for me to shine again! Soon, you will all bow down to me again!"

The video then switched back over to the newscaster. "The NYPD has released a statement today saying that they will not rest until Dr. Horrible is in their custody. We now return you to our hottest new reality show, _The Search for the Next Million-Dollar Heads or Tails Girl_, already in progress."

The segment ended and went back to two women who were fighting and screaming at each other. Ted sat there and watched with his mouth agape.

"I don't believe this," Ted gaped as Wendy set down his Wharmpess Extra Strong beer. "Dr. Horrible is back and he's going to do something, I just know it."

"Puh-lease, Ted!" Lily said with the wave of her hand. "He's Dr. Horrible. I don't think he'll do much. He's just one guy."

Marshall and Barney came walking in, Marshall looking excited.

"Dr. Horrible is in the city!" he exclaimed.

"We know," said Robin, pointing at the TV. "We just saw his video on the news."

Barney, trying to change the subject, looked up to the TV with the two fighting women. "Look who's getting a spin-off!" he said.

"What?" Robin asked cluelessly.

"That girl wearing the cheetah print dress on that Heads or Tails girl show with the big knockers?" Barney asked, ignoring the subject of Dr. Horrible. "She's gonna get her own show, honka honka!"

"Barney!" everyone at the booth yelled.'

"It's true," Lily agreed with a nod. "Anyone who acts erratically on a reality show gets their own show."

"I think Captain Hammer should have his own show," Marshall added to the conversation. "But the big question is...how will it be produced? Live-action, or animated?"

"Dude," said Ted. "How big of a nerd are you?"

The evening went on. The gang continued to debate Marshall with his Captain Hammer cartoon which then moved to a discussion on a Captain Hammer movie and who should play the title role along with Dr. Horrible. This made Ted forget about his missing sketch for the rest of the evening and he went home after several more of those strong beers.

A month later, Captain Hammer had been tirelessly stopping crime all over the city. Robberies, muggings, burglaries, you name it. Captain Hammer got to the end of it. Along with that, many stores and shops began to fill with Captain Hammer merchandise and with customers demanding for Captain Hammer mugs and t-shirts. Delis and bakeries began to make specialty items and named them after Captain Hammer. Hammer Madness was sweeping the city.

Barney, on the other hand, had been plotting. With the large income he had from his job, Barney was able to buy materials for his next project in attempt to stop Captain Hammer. Other materials, however, he had to steal. He began to seek out a new matter called elementus** (Disclaimer: Not real)**. He had plans to make a new kind of ray gun. His freeze ray had been a failure in the past, but this time he was hoping his new gun would be a success in taking over the world.

One evening, Barney dressed as Dr. Horrible set out to find the elementus and steal it for his new ray gun. The local museum was showing it off for a short period of time to the general public before it would be sent away for research. Dr. Horrible questioned why a material would be showed at a museum but then it was revealed to have been part of their science division.

Dr. Horrible crawled into the museum through the window of the museum, in full Dr. Horrible gear. Compared to Captain Hammer's physique, Dr. Horrible struggled to get in through the window with his smaller frame. He channelled all his strength into his upper body and finally managed to get in.

"I need to work out some more," Dr. Horrible said to himself, getting all his gear together. He slid his goggles over his eyes and began to slowly creep around the silent halls, lit in twilight.

He pulled out a small GPS navigator that appeared to be a cell phone and began to look for his way around the museum. Luckily for him, he didn't have to look very far. He saw something glowing in different colors, like a rainbow. He crept over to the lights and saw a stone, edges jagged and cross-cut, but shining in a rainbow light, sitting on top of a velvet pillow in a glass case. Dr. Horrible smiled to himself.

"Come to papa," he said as he pulled something out of his pocket.

He placed a small removable button onto the glass case and pressed the button, causing the glass to become translucent. Dr. Horrible carefully picked up the stone and retracted it to himself. He removed the button and placed the elementus stone into a small briefcase.

"Hold it right there!" boomed a familiar voice.

Dr. Horrible turned around and saw Captain Hammer, standing fifty feet away with his hands on his hips. "Drop that elementus!"

"Never!" yelled Dr. Horrible, turning to run but Captain Hammer's speed caught up to him and punched him in the back, sending him flying and knocking the wind out of him and causing him to crash into a taxidermist stuffed bear.

"I will not let you get away this time!" yelled Captain Hammer as Dr. Horrible struggled to get to his feet.

"Wanna bet?" Dr. Horrible taunted, opening the nearest window and jumping out of it.

While this was happening, Robin was doing a newsreport nearby at a Greek restaurant that was celebrating its fiftieth year in business. One of what Robin deemed as a "fluff story", a story that was good news, not of big importance, and most of all, shown as the last story on the news before they went off the air where at that point, most people probably have already changed to another channel or turned off the TV. Robin hated doing these stories.

"And so, for then next month, Yassou Greek Cuisine will be running specials for all their customers who come in," Robin concluded. "This has been Robin Scherbatsky-"

Robin was suddenly interrupted by Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer on a wild chase through the streets of the city. Robin immediately recognized who they were, so she pulled out a handgun and began to shoot.

"Gah!" yelped Dr. Horrible, using his steel briefcase as a shield. "What the hell are you doing?"

Because Dr. Horrible had the briefcase shielding him, he couldn't see where he was going, so he ended up falling into a nearby subway entrance...

Dr. Horrible eventually got away with the elementus after losing Captain Hammer. The next day, Barney went to MacLaren's feeling victorious.

"Hey, Barney," Ted, Marshall, and Lily all greeted.

"What up!" exclaimed Barney, sliding into the booth next to Marshall, who was reading something on his smartphone.

"Guys, check this out," said Marshall. "Dr. Horrible managed to get away with a rare stone from that museum."

"That can't be good," Ted mused, shaking his head. "What if Dr. Horrible has something up his sleeve? For all we know, he could use it to blow up the city!"

"Ted, the stone's not capable of doing that," Marshall explained. "The elementus stone is related to the seasons and weather."

"Hey guys!" said Robin, walking in. "You guys mind if I brought someone here today?"

Everyone said no and Robin gestured for her friend to come over. That was when Captain Hammer walked over to the table. Marshall's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in excitement while Barney's heart stopped for a brief moment.


	4. Meet the Gang

"C-Captain Hammer?" Marshall stammered excitedly as Lily rolled her eyes. "I am your BIGGEST FAN!"

Captain Hammer grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. "Thanks, always glad to meet someone who loves me!" he said.

"How did you guys meet?" Ted asked.

"He was chasing Dr. Horrible last night and although he got away, I tried to help take him down," Robin explained.

"I thanked her for trying to help, and we got to sweet talking," Captain Hammer said, staring into Robin's eyes. "This lady's got quite the aim!"

Barney silently sipped on his glass of scotch as everyone talked to Captain Hammer. Finally, he began to speak to Barney.

"I didn't catch your name," said Captain Hammer.

"It's Barney," Barney sneered.

Captain Hammer stared at Barney for a moment. "I feel like I know you from somewhere," he said. "Did I rescue you from something?"

"No," said Barney. "I've never needed saving from anything."

Marshall couldn't help but notice something about Barney. "Hey Barney, I just realized something," he said. "You kinda look like Dr. Horrible."

Barney jumped in his seat. "What?" he asked nervously. "That's crazy! I can't be Dr. Horrible. Can Dr. Horrible get all the ladies?"

"Actually, no," said Captain Hammer. "He's too scrawny. No lady would want that."

"You'd be surprised," Barney said through gritted teeth.

Ted sensed something fishy was going on, so he began to change the subject. "So, Captain Hammer, you like beer?"

"Do I ever?" replied Captain Hammer. "You ever try this Wharmpess stuff? Amazing. Perfect for a superhero like me!"

"Sure is!" Marshall agreed.

For the next hour, Barney managed to stay and stomach whatever Captain Hammer was bragging about. He sat there in silence, sipping glass after glass of scotch while glaring evilly at Captain Hammer.

"Okay, think I'll go now," Barney said, standing up.

Everyone was too busy asking Captain Hammer questions to even notice, especially Marshall, who was asking question after question. Barney silently linked away from the gang and left the bar. He went back to his apartment, to the secret room where his Dr. Horrible stuff was, now unpacked and set up. Barney changed out of his suit and into his Dr. Horrible gear, then turning on his video camera.

"I have successfully obtained the elementus stone for my newest weapon," began Dr. Horrible. "Soon, all of New York City will be wishing for bright and sunny days again. I have four words for Captain Hammer. Don't, mess, with, me. I am not as scrawny as you think."

He switched off the camera and walked over to the corner of the room, to something that was underneath a sheet. He removed the sheet to reveal the elementus stone embedded in a gun.

"Billy?" asked a familiar voice.

Dr. Horrible looked up and looked around. No one was there. He picked up the gun again when he heard his former name being called again.

"Billy, please don't do this," said the voice.

Dr. Horrible turned around to find Penny, standing behind him.

"You were doing so well," she said with a sad look in her eyes. Instead of her bright and lively eyes, they were cold and dull. "You relocated to New York, you became Barney Stinson. You weren't Dr. Horrible. You still have time to withdraw from all this."

Dr. Horrible shook his head. "No," he said sadly, playing with the buttons on his gun. "I have to do this. I MUST get rid of Captain Hammer once and for all."

"But what will you gain from this?" Penny pointed out. "When you defeated him the first time, you got into the Evil League of Evil, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..." Dr. Horrible's voice trailed off. Penny was right. What _did_ he have to gain from getting rid of Captain Hammer? He didn't even take anything from Dr. Horrible, or at least Barney. He turned back to say something to Penny, but she was gone. Dr. Horrible breathed a deep sigh and continued to work on his gun.

However, Penny's question was later answered a few days later when Barney was at Robin's apartment with Ted. Robin was wearing a short red dress and high heels, clomping around her apartment in them, getting herself ready for an evening out.

"Where did you say you were going again?" Ted asked while sitting at his architect's desk.

"On a date," replied Robin as she put on her earrings. "We're going to this awesome Mexican restaurant. It's not like those fast food places, it's one of those fancy ones with the mariachi bands!"

"I _hate_ mariachi bands," Ted said in disgust. "They're too loud, I can't understand them because they're singing in Spanish, and Barney once used them against me!"

"Ah, yes," Barney said, reminiscing. "As an April Fool's Joke one year, I had a mariachi band follow him around for a day!"

Ted glared at Barney. "It wasn't funny," he shot back. "I had an important lesson to give in my architectural class and it didn't help with them playing their music and their big hats!"

Barney and Robin snickered.

"Best $1000 I ever spent," Barney said fondly before taking a drink from his bottle of beer.

Ted shook his head and sighed. "So, who is your date?" he asked Robin.

"Captain Hammer!" Robin exclaimed excitedly.

Barney spat out his beer.

"Hey!" cried Ted. "Not on my new couch!"

"C-Captain Hammer?" Barney stuttered, wiping his mouth on his suit sleeve. "Why?"

"He's a nice guy," Robin answered. "Besides, we've been hanging out a lot and he asked me out. I figured I'd give him a shot."

Barney's heart sank as Robin said this. She should _not_ go out with this egotistical jerk. He would probably spend the whole date talking about himself and how great he is.

Robin smoothed out her dress and stood in front of the two men. "How do I look?"

"You look great!" Ted said, giving a thumbs up. "Go get him!"

Barney remained silent.

"Barney, what's wrong?" asked Robin. "Listen, if you don't want me to go out, that's fine, I'll stay here."

Barney brushed her off. "No, no, go," he said. He smiled a fake smile. "You look fantastic."

"Aww, thank you!" Robin squealed, giving both Barney and Ted hugs. "I better go now! He'll be here any minute!"

She grabbed her matching red clasp purse and rushed out the door. Barney stood there in disbelief.

_First, I lost Penny to him,_ Barney thought to himself. _Now I'm going to lose Robin. Not on _my_ watch!_


	5. Captain Hammer's Announcement

Robin's date with Captain Hammer went very well. Even though he did not give Robin any flowers or do any gentleman-like gestures towards her, Robin still liked him.

Little did anyone know, Barney stalked Robin and Captain Hammer on their dates, just like he had done when Captain Hammer had dated Penny. Lately, though, the ghost of Penny kept showing up to Barney and trying to reason with him. He kept trying to shake her out of his mind, but it was hard. He still loved Penny dearly but he didn't want to lose Robin like how he lost Penny to Captain Hammer.

It was not just Robin who liked Captain Hammer. Marshall still had his man-crush on him, following every move, every update on his social networking sites, and even wearing his merchandise. He was also still giddy like a schoolgirl whenever he was around Captain Hammer.

"I love a man who lets me do things myself," Robin commented excitedly one day at MacLaren's. "Ooh, did I tell you guys? Last night, we went to the shooting range and it was SO much fun!"

"I'm glad to see you so happy with him, Robin," said Lily.

Barney scoffed.

"Barney, you're just jealous," Robin said to Barney. "You had your chance with me but you lost it and now that Captain Hammer is my boyfriend, you can't accept it, can you?"

"I'm not jealous!" lied Barney. "Just that a real superhero wouldn't be out dating and they'd be out saving the world."

"Barney, you and GNB are already destroying the world," Marshall joked, wearing the same shirt as Captain Hammer. "You're a villain!"

Barney glared evilly at Marshall. "No, you don't know what a real villain is," he said icily and stormed out. He stopped in front of the bar and lit up a cigarette.

"Tough times?" asked a voice.

Barney looked up and saw Captain Hammer standing there.

"What do _you_ want?" Barney asked with a sneer.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," said Captain Hammer. He normally never would be concerned for other people's feelings but his own.

"I'm fine," Barney snapped, taking a puff and blowing out smoke. "Just misunderstood, is all."

Captain Hammer nodded. "You know, I used to be like you," he said. "Small, puny little guy, misunderstood. But all that changed the day I decided to become a superhero!" He flexed his biceps.

"Makes no sense," said Barney. "You wanted to save the world so that people could understand you?"

"You earn respect when you save the world," explained Captain Hammer. "Why do you think so many people love me?"

Barney took one last puff and crushed his cigarette with his dress shoe. "I already have respect," he said. "I'm the Barnacle."

"You really think sleeping with women and running out on them earns you respect?" Captain Hammer said in a serious tone that Barney never heard out of him before.

He had a point. Barney was always hiding from the women he slept with. Many of them called him a jerk, a loser, a scumbag...then there was Abby, the one woman who tried to sabotage his love life by telling all the potential women Barney was going after who he was and what he had done. She was a little bit off in the head. And Robin...Barney was lucky he was still even friends with Robin after his relationship with her. Then Lily. How was he even friends with Lily in the first place? She's married to Marshall...

"Think about it," Captain Hammer said, turning around and walking back inside the bar.

"Earning respect?" Barney asked himself. "Puh-lease. The Lord Almighty is the one that gives me all the respect!"

Suddenly, he slipped on a nearby puddle and fell flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Owww..." he groaned as he got up and rubbed his back. "At least I still have my dignity."

A speeding truck carrying watermelons drove by through a puddle, causing dirty street water to spray onto Barney. A passersby tossed a crumpled up newspaper onto the ground next to Barney, narrowly missing the trash can next to him. Barney picked up the paper and unfurled it.

_Captain Hammer to get Key to the City On Friday at Noon!_ screamed the headline.

Barney pulled out his smartphone and read the date. It was Wednesday, so Friday was two days away. He went into his applications and checked the weather. Perfectly sunny on Friday.

_Enjoy your perfect weather, New York,_ Barney thought to himself with his evil glare on his face. _For tomorrow will be your last sunny day..._

Back in the bar, Captain Hammer ordered cheeseburgers for everyone in celebration of his announcement. Once Wendy the Waitress dropped off all the orders of burgers and fries, Robin spoke up

"So what's this big announcement?" asked Robin, putting a napkin on her lap.

"I am getting the key to the city on Friday!" announced Captain Hammer, gleaming his big white smile.

Everyone cheered.

"Congratulations, Hammer!" said Ted.

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Lily.

"This is the happiest moment of my life!" whooped Marshall.

Lily glared at her husband.

"Sorry," said Marshall. "I mean, one of the happiest moments of my life."

"And Hammer's inviting all of us to be on stage with him when he gets the key!" Robin continued.

More cheering ensued.

"A toast!" said Ted, raising his beer glass. "To the greatest superhero in all of New York City!"

"Here here!" said Marshall and everyone else, clinking their glasses...


	6. Key to the City

**Disclaimer: Hurky doesn't own C3PO from Star Wars.**

* * *

Friday came very quickly. Barney spent the past day holed up in his apartment putting together the final touches on his latest creation. As he worked harder on his project, Barney stopped seeing Penny's ghost altogether. This didn't bother him, naturally. He was too bent on getting Captain Hammer. He had to stop him before he took Robin away from him. It seemed as though Penny was the last remnant of Barney's sanity, but that was gone now thanks to his lust for vengeance.

Friday was a gorgeous day. The sky was blue with a shining sun, no clouds in the sky, and perfectly warm. Ted and his friends all took the day off from their jobs just to be at the ceremony at town hall with Captain Hammer.

"I am SO psyched to be here today!" Marshall said, clutching a program of the day's events in his hands. "Like, you guys have NO idea!"

"Marshall, you're wearing your Captain Hammer T-shirt," Lily pointed out to her husband, who was wearing his Captain Hammer t-shirt along with gloves like Captain Hammer's, jeans, and sneakers. "I think we get it."

"Come on, Lily," coaxed Ted. "It's a celebration where Marshall's superhero gets honored and he gets to be onstage alongside him. Let him be happy."

"I still don't understand why you're wearing your red cowboy boots," Robin added in disgust, pointing to Ted's unstylish red cowboy boots.

"You never know when you're going to need them," Ted shot back.

Lily noticed that Barney wasn't there, seeing the seat next to her was empty. "Hey, has anyone seen Barney?" she asked, pointing her thumb at the empty chair.

"He called me and said he was going to be a little late," answered Ted, looking at his phone, checking for any missed calls or any texts, which there were none of either from Barney. "I wish he would hurry up. The ceremony's about to start any minute now."

The sound of the microphone screetching and someone thumping on it interrupted Ted's train of thought.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!" began the mayor of New York City. "Welcome to the Key to the City Ceremony for Captain Hammer!"

The crowd below began to applaud and cheer. Many were wearing t-shirts like the one Marshall was wearing. Others were holding up signs declaring _WE LOVE YOU CAPTAIN HAMMER!_ and _MARRY ME HAMMER!_ and waving them in the air along with balloons.

"Today is such a perfect day for such a celebration," continued the mayor. "The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky! Crime has been reduced and volunteer work has increased thanks to this incredible man! He has also taken steps towards fighting pollution and making an effort to go green in this city. Thanks to this gentleman, our-"

As the mayor's speech went on, Marshall and Robin listened intently, with Marshall being the fanboy he was and Robin being supportive and smiling. Lily faded in and out of the speech, as was Ted, though he was lost deep in thought.

_Where is Barney?_ he thought to himself, shifting eyes from the empty seat to in the crowd below the stage. _He said he'd be here by now but he is so-_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of C-3PO bleeping from his jacket pocket. Ted quickly grabbed his phone. 1 new message from Barney! Thank heavens! Ted opened the message and read it. _What up, Ted? Hey, just ran into Sven in the GNB parking lot and I am like totally kicking their asses. Will be late to the Hammer thing._

Ted's face twisted into a grimace. "Sven..." he growled angrily. Sven was a Swedish architechtural firm that was rival to Ted's own firm. He had often lost jobs to these guys of blonde hair, sunglasses, and black leotards.

The mayor went silent and cleared his throat. "Ahem?" he asked, trying to acknowledge Ted's rudeness.

Ted blushed. "Heh heh, sorry!" he whispered. He slid his phone back into his pocket and remained silent for the remainder of the speech. _Wait, Barney would_ never_ fight Sven! I think he's lying about something..._

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you!" concluded the mayor. "Captain Hammer!"

The audience went wild as Captain Hammer walked onstage, waving to his fans and smiling. The mayor smiled, handed Captain Hammer a plaque with a key to the city on it, shook his hand, and took pictures with him. Finally, once the photos were done, Captain Hammer walked up to the podium to give his speech.

"Hello and good afternoon, New York City," began Captain Hammer. "I don't know what to say, other than-"

Suddenly, the sky filled quickly with thick, gray clouds, and snow began to lightly drift down from them. The audience gasped in shock and amazement.

"Ah, a little snow," Captain Hammer chuckled until he realized something. "Wait a minute, that's not natural snow, that's-"

"-Miss me?" yelled a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to the very end of the audience to see Dr. Horrible, standing there in his red coat, goggles over his eyes, hands behind his back, and grinning evilly.

"Dr. Horrible," Captain Hammer said with a grin. "So, we meet again."

"Naturally," said Dr. Horrible. "I can't believe you had the guts to actually show your face around here."

"I can't believe YOU had the guts!" Captain Hammer shot back.

"Shut up!" cried Dr. Horrible. "Remember the elementus stone back at the museum? Well, as you all know, it's in my posession and I used it to make my latest creation!"

He moved his hands from behind his back to reveal a giant ray gun with the elementus stone embedded in it.

"Presenting!" he declared. "The Elementarius 5000! Capable of changing the weather! I can make it perfectly sunny, blazing hot, or blistering cold! And to prove I'm not bluffing..."

Dr. Horrible pointed his gun at the sky and shot at it, causing the clouds to grow darker and the snow to fall harder along with some wind to blow.

"Make it stop!" yelled the mayor.

"Only if Captain Hammer meets my demand!" yelled Dr. Horrible. "Either he leaves and never shows his face here again or I'll take his beloved girlfriend, Robin!"

Captain Hammer jumped off the stage to charge at Dr. Horrible. "You will never take my girl and I will never leave this city!"

Dr. Horrible smiled. "Oh. Well that's too bad," he said.

He took out a smartphone-like device, pressed a button on the touchscreen, causing the floor underneath Robin's chair onstage to give in. Robin screamed as she fell in and the trapdoor closed up. Captain Hammer along with Ted, Marshall, and Lily stared at Dr. Horrible in horror and anger.

"Come and find us, Hammer," laughed Dr. Horrible, running away into the nearby alleys.

"Someone stop him!" shouted Lily.

Captain Hammer began to chase after Dr. Horrible, but unfortunately, due to blizzardlike conditions, he slipped and fell onto the sidewalk, flat on his back.

"Oh no..." squeaked Captain Hammer. "My back..."


	7. Hostage

**It's been a while since I've made an update. I've noticed a lot of follows and favorites but hardly any reviews. Come on, people! I'm writing good stuff here (I believe)! Sure, there's no singing (I'm no lyricist) but one review would be nice. Don't make me hold chapters hostage here!**

**Disclaimer: Hurky still doesn't own HIMYM or Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.**

* * *

Captain Hammer was rushed to the nearest hospital where he was admitted and being treated for his back. Ted and his friends followed him there with the help of Ranjit, the taxi driver.

"A broken tail bone?" cried Ted once he got to the hospital and heard what the diagnosis was from Captain Hammer. He paced around Captain Hammer's hospital room, flailing his hands about angrily and frantically. "I can't believe this! What are we going to do about Robin and Dr. Horrible?"

"Don't you worry, Ted," reassured Captain Hammer, lying in the hospital bed still wearing his normal pants, boots, and gloves, but in a hospital shirt. "We're going to get him."

"How?" asked Marshall. "You've gotta stay off your back. Crime fighting involves a lot of work with your back, man."

"That's where you all come in," added Captain Hammer.

Marshall and Ted exchanged glances at each other before pointing to themselves. "Us?" They asked in unison.

"You three will have to do my work for me," explained Captain Hammer, playing with the controls of his bed. Lily placed a few more pillows underneath his back to try and make him more comfortable. "Thanks, doll. Anyway, I need you to locate where Dr. Horrible is hiding. He could be keeping Robin there."

"We get to be superheroes!" Marshall cheered. "Do we all get to have awesome costumes?" Lily clapped her hand to her forehead.

"No, I don't think so," answered Ted, glancing out the window at the snow that was gently falling outside before facing his friends again. "With this snow, we're going to need to bundle up as best as we can."

"Speaking of," Lily added, pointing to Ted's boots. "Those boots have GOT to go."

Ted gasped in overexaggerated shock. "No!"

"Ted, Lily's right. If we're going to be out in snowy conditions, those boots are not going to be suitable," Marshall agreed. "We need to go home and get our snow gear, then meet back here in about half an hour."

Ted and Lily each nodded and the trio ran out of Captain Hammer's hospital room.

Meanwhile, Robin awoke in a dimly lit place, lying on a bed. She began to feel panicked, as she did not know where she was. Last she remembered, she was at the Key to the City ceremony where Dr. Horrible showed up and ruined things. Then, she fell through a hole from underneath her chair where her chair hit her on the head and knocked her unconscious.

"Hello?" Robin called out, sitting up. "Is someone out there?"

A television mounted on the wall flickered on and there was only a glowing green flatline on it. "Hello, Robin. I see you came to," it spoke in a robotic-like voice, the flatline moving in rhythm with the voice.

"Hey, loser!" Robin shouted. "Where am I?"

"You are locked up in an undisclosed location," explained the voice. "Still within the city, but no one knows where this location is. Not even the government."

Robin stood up from the bed and located the door. She ran to it and began to pound on it and jiggle at the knob, but no luck. She groaned in frustration.

"It's no use, Robin Scherbatsky," the disembodied voice said. "You can't get out."

Robin looked around for her purse with her gun in it but she realized it was gone. It was either left on the stage when she was kidnapped or it had been taken from her.

"Your firearm has also been confiscated, so you can't try any funny business," continued the voice.

Robin slammed her hand on the door as tears welled up in her eyes. "What do you want?" she demanded, snifling. "Who are you? Is this Dr. Horrible?"

"Never mind who I am," said the voice. "I will tell you this: if you cooperate with me, you WILL be safe."

Suddenly, the screen went blank and Robin completely broke down, crying, slumping to th floor with her back still against the door.

The disembodied voice belonged to Dr. Horrible, who was watching Robin through a camera from another location in his building. He stood there, emotionless and expressionless. He turned his back and walked over to his weather gun to tinker with it. As he worked, he had the television onto the news, which was frantically sputtering out developments as snow fell in New York City.

"It's chaos in New York City today," reported a woman geared up in winter clothes. "After Dr. Horrible has made his return known to the world and with Captain Hammer in the hospital with an injury. Witnesses say that he slipped and injured himself on icy sidewalks. While this has been happening, Dr. Horrible has taken a hostage. Ms. Robin Scherbatsky, my friend and colleague-"

Dr. Horrible's lips curled into a twisted smile. Captain Hammer has been held back and he couldn't get to his love, now with his injury. With him out of the picture, who was going to stop him now? The NYPD could come out, along with SWAT teams and military, but Dr. Horrible had developed newer and stronger weapons and technology during his time in New York as Barney Stinson.

Dr. Horrible continued to work on his gun when he heard sobbing and a voice. No, it wasn't Penny, but a certain Canadian. He looked up to the surveillance screen and saw Robin still sitting where she was, crying.

"S-someone..." she hiccuped as she wiped her nose. "Anyone...(sniff)...Ted...Marshall...Lily...I need you..."

Dr. Horrible watched in silence as Robin continued to cry.

"Barney..."

Dr. Horrible's heart softened...


End file.
